


Absent Return

by Katniss239



Series: Blood of my Blood [1]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Beardless Dwarf Women, Child Abuse, Comfort, Crying, Dwarf Women, Family Feels, Family Loyalty, Gen, Hurt, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Sexual Violence, Sibling Love, Thorin Feels, Thorin is a Softie, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-14
Updated: 2014-01-06
Packaged: 2018-01-04 14:21:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1082046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katniss239/pseuds/Katniss239
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Thorin's three daughters were kidnapped as little dwarflings, he had thought them to be dead. But they werent. Through many years of pain and suffering as slaves, the three dwarrowdams have escaped and found their way to Erebor. But will they know for certain who they are? Will they regonize their own father?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Taken

It had happened in the dead of night.

No one in Ered Luin had seen or heard them coming.

But it had happened all the same.

The five dwarflings were jolted awake by a violent explosion.

"Pappa!" Viani called as Thorin raced passed the door. Thorin retraced his steps and walked into the room, crouching beside the bed. "What's happening, pappa?" His eldest daughter asked.

"Ther are bad men inside the city, love." Thorin told her. "We need to make sure these bad men don't find you. Can you do something for me? All of you?" He added, his gaze sweeping over his nephews and his daughters. They all nodded.

"I need all of you to stay here, and do whatever Dis tells you to do. Okay?" Thorin told them.

"Yes pappa." his daughters replied.

"Yes, uncle." said his nephews.

Thorin smiled and kissed each one of them on the forehead. "Now, be good. I'll be back. I promise." He said. With that, he dissapeared down the hallway. As soon as he was gone, Liani, the youngest, scrambled out of bed and hopped up onto the windowsill to see what was going on.

"What can you see?" Kili asked.

"Fire!" Liani exclaimed. "Everything's on fire!"

Fili clamoured over, hoisting himself up onto the windowsill beside his cousin. The others followed suit.

The night sky was glowing like a red hot coal.

The fire bathed their house in his glow.

All of them jumped when Dis suddenly burst into the room. "Aunty, what-" exclaimed the Kiani.

"Sh!" Dis hissed. "Come, quickly! Quickly!" all five of them obeyed. Dis gathered them close to her and rushed them to the back door, just as there was a loud pounding on the front door, and a gruff voice commanded. "Open up!"

Dis hurried the five dwarflings out the door.

_BAM_

They were trying to kick the door in.

_BAM_

Once all five children were out the door, Dis slowly closed the door behind her.

_BAM. CRASH_

When the crash of the door swinging in was heard, the six dwarves ran out of the light of the fires and into the trees. For a long moment, they crouched and watched. The night was alive with flames. In the distance, they could hear the howls and screams of the people of Ered Luin. Dwarven or Human, it made no difference; they screamed just the same. Not wishing her sons and nieces to see and hear anymore of this, Dis swept them close and ushered them on into the woods. Soon, all the sounds faded away into the distance. They came to the base of the mountains after a short while.

Caves littered the area like pox marks. Before going into one of these caves, Dis halted to check for any signs that something else was already living there. She found no signs of an animal inhabiting the cave on the ground outside. All the same, she drew her axe and held it tight, ready for unseen company. After circling around the entire cave, they found nothing there. Satisfied, Dis reached into her bag and pulled out the blankets that she had hurredly grabbed before they had fled the house. She rolled up a few to ue for pillows, and layed the rest out to create the best imitation of a bedroll she could make.

Right as she was about to pass into sleep, she heard Liani murmur. "Aunty?"

"Yes, love?" Dis replied sleepily.

"Where did da go? Why did he go?" Liani asked.

Dis focused her eyes on the small form of her youngest niece. Her other two nieces and her sons were already asleep. "Well, your da didn't want those bad men to find you, so he went out to lead them away." She replied.

"I wanna see da." Liani's voice was quivering, and Dis pictured the little dwarrowdam on the verge of tears. "When is he coming back? Please tell me he's coming back!"

"Oh, sweetheart." Dis murmured, drawing the little girl close. "Your da has survived much worse than this. He'll come back, you'll see."

"Promise?" Liani pressed.

"I promise."

 

 

***

 

 

Dis was jolted awake by the sound of boots striking stone.

She looked over her shoulder to see five men standing at the cave entrance. They wore black masks that covered the lower halves of their faces, and they were dressed in clothes that were several shades of dark brown and black. Slowly, so as not to wake the little ones, Dis rose to her feet, and grabbed her axe. The men eyed her with cold, stoic expressions. "What do you want?" she growled.

"What we want is none of your concern, she-dwarf." said one of the men, his voice gravelly and deep.

"Why did you attack Ered Luin?" Dis pressed.

The man who had spoken chuckled harshly. Dis watched as, in one swift, fluid motion, the five men drew their swords. All of Dis's warrior instincts were screaming in her head. It was the sound of the swords being drawn that woke the little ones. Speaking in Khuzdul, Dis said. "Children, run. Go. Now!"

Everything happened at once.

The dwarflings shot up and raced for the cave entrance.

The men lunged forth, swords ready.

Dis charged forth, shrieking in rage, her axe poised to swing. Steel screamed against steel as her axe collided with their swords. One of her swings was so strong, it sent a man tumbling backwards into the cave wall. But these men were fast. _very_ fast. And Dis was outnumbered. A scream drew her attention to the cave entrance. There were more men wearing black masks, some on foot, some on horseback, all of them trying to snatch the dwarflings that wove their way between the horses legs and the mens legs. This moment of distraction gave the men in the cave time to strike. Dis screamed as their swords slashed her, slicing through the fabric of her dress. When she fell to her knees, the men proceeded to brutally beat her.

A whistle sounded, and the pain suddenly stopped.

"Mamma!" Dis looked up as her sons raced to her side.

Dis was forced to watch, helpless, as the riders dissapeared into the woods, with her three nieces in tow.

 

 

 

***

 

 

Viani whimpered but didn't move a muscle as the horse rocked and bounced beneath her.

The man holding her was strong. She could feel it in his mucle-corded arms.

When the three girls had not stopped fighting, the men had blindfolded them, the same way they would blindfold a terrified horse to get it to cooperate. Their hands and feet were bound as well. After what seemed like ages, the horse stopped, and Viani felt herself being lifted out of the saddle. Being carried like a bale of hay, she was tossed to the ground. When her blindfold was removed, Viani saw her two little sisters beside her. She looked around. They were in some sort of a camp. It was hurredly being packed up, and everything was being loaded into horse-drawn carts.

The three little girls were whimpering in fright, the men gathered around them staring blankly.

Two men stepped forth out of the crowd.

One, a slim blond, was holding nothing.

The other, a muscular brunette, had a bright red apple in his left hand, and a short whip in his right.

The former of the two crouched in front of the whimpering dwarflings.

He shushed them gently, stroking their hair. Once their terrified whimpering had stopped, the blond stepped forth. "There's no need for you to be afraid." he told the three girls gently.

"What do you want with us?" Viani demanded, trying, and failing, the keep the tremor out of her voice.

"It's quite simple really." The blond man responded. "You belong to us now. Behave yourselves, and you will be rewarded." He tossed them the apple, and Liani caught it. "Fail to do so.." the man continued, and finished by tapping the butt of his whip against his thigh.

The message was clear enough.

They were completely at the mercy of these men.

 

 

***

 

 

Thorin's head shot up as Dwalin and Bofur came into the house.

"Well?" He pressed, standing bolt-upright.

The two dwarves looked at each other, but said nothing.

" _Well?_ " Thorin pressed again.

Bofur took a deep breath. "They're gone."

"What do you mean _gone?_ " Thorin growled.

"We've combed every inch of Ered Luin." Dwalin said. "They're not here. The men must have moved fast, because there's no sign of them for miles outside of Ered Luin in every direction. They're gone."

Thorin's eyes went wide as his chest constricted almost painfully.

He slumped back into his chair heavily.

"Thorin?" Dwalin asked.

"Leave me alone." Thorin's voice trembled.

There was a moment's hesitation before the miner and the soldier left.

His grandfather had been beheaded by Azog the Defiler. His father had been driven mad by grief and vanished. His little brother had been slain in battle. His brother-in-law had drowned saving a pair of dwarflings from a flood. His wife had died in childbirth. And now, his sister was gravely wounded and his daughters taken. He had failed. He had oh so miserably failed. He had failed as a grandson, as a son, as a brother, as a prince, as a husband, and now he had failed as father.

He was no king.

He was nothing.


	2. Lost

Viani's eyes were fixed on what she could see beyond the bars.

She had told her little sisters to get some sleep, but she wanted to know where they were heading.

She could just look above the boardline to the bars.

From her vantage point, she caught sight of trees moving quickly passed them.

The wooden box rattled around them as the horses pulling it trotted down the road. Before they had been put in the cart, Viani had counted at least seven others. Who were these men? Where were they being taken? The chains the three girls wore rattled as the cart moved. _Pappa will find us._ She thought. _He has to. He never gives up._ It was as the sun was going down that the cart finally came to a stop beside the river.

Not wanting to get caught, Viani slumped down onto the floor and cave the impression of being asleep.

There was the click of the lock, and the creak of the door opening. Viani blinked and covered her eyes with her hand. Three men stood in front of the cart. The bright sunlight kept their faces in shadow. One by one, each of the three men crawled into the box and lifted the three dwarflings out of it. They watched as several move people with chains and collars lined up on either side of them. Some were men, some were dwarves, some were elves. As soon as she saw these people, Viani knew where they were. The three sisters and their cousins had been told stories of the elusive slave traders. They traveled all around Middle Earth, and even into lands beyond, kidnapping people and selling them as slaves. Those who were taken by the slave traders rarely saw their friends and family ever again.

Viani felt her heart plummet.

There was no chance of their father finding them now.

The blond man who had spoken to the girls earlier rode up on a massive gray horse.

His eyes swept over the entire group before he said. "Listen up! All of you are now the property of the Black Falcon Slave Traders! Our rules are very simple; behave yourselves, do everything we ask of you, and you will be rewarded. But if you step out of line, try to take charge over us," He chuckled, "well, then you're just hurting yourself." Everyone flinched at the thunderous _CRACK_ of a whip. The blond nodded, and the masked men moved among their captives. Viani looked up as a man took hold of her chains. "You're coming with me." He told her gruffly.

Viani could only look back, helpless, as she was pulled away from her sisters.

The man was merciless, setting such a fast pace that she could hardly keep up.

She was led on to a large tent set on the edge of the camp.

The floor inside was lined with furs. There was a massive, octagonal table in the center of the floor, but beyond that and a couple of lit braziers, the tent was empty. The blond man was laying on the furs in the corner of the tent. He looked up when she came in, and waved her escort away. Once the other man was gone, the blond rose to his feet. Viani immediately tensed.

"It's alright, child." the man said, and drew a key from his pocket.

Using it, he unlocked the manicles at her wrists and ankles, and tossed them aside.

All that remained was the collar around her neck.

"Come." He ushered, drawing her further into the tent.

"My name is Dymnos." He told her as they walked further into the tent. "I'm the head of this operation." Viani had already figured this out on her own, but she kept quiet. "I have seen the strong bond you have with your sisters. You care deeply for them, don't you?"

Viani swallowed hard and nodded.

Dymnos _tsk_ ed.

"Come now, child." He said, crouching in front of her, and grasping her chin between his thumb and forefinger. "You're allowed to speak in here. What is your name?" Viani paused before she said. "Viani."

"Do you love your sisters, Viani?" Dymnos asked.

"Yes, sir." She responded.

"You would do anything to keep them safe?" He continued.

"Yes, sir." She repeated, unsure of where he was going with this.

He stood and turned toward the table, where a small plate of meat and fruit was set out. "Because of the bond i see between the three of you, I have decided to sell you as a set. It's a win-win situation. You get to stay with your sisters, and I make more prophet." He turned to face her, a pear in his hand, and tossed it to her. She devoured it swiftly. Dymnos smiled and stroder over to the same spot he had been laying on when Viani had arrived. "Of course, to make sure you and your sisters get into a good home, you will have to learn a few skills. I can teach you."

Viani blinked as he layed back against the pillows. "Teach me what?"

As she watched, Dymnos's hand drifted downwards, slowly undoing the buckle of his belt.

With his free hand, he crooked a finger at her in a 'come here' motion.

Viani swallowed hard. Her eyes went wide and her face drained of color as she realized what this man planned to teach her.

 

 

***

 

 

Thorin sat near the fire.

He was gazing at the picture in his hands.

It was before the raid.

He gazed longingly at the painted images of his daughters. Liani, the quiet little redhead who always seemed to know everyone else's secrets. Kiani, the excited little brunette who's mind always seemed to run a mile a minute. And Viani. His pride and joy. She was the mirror image of her father; same raven black hair, same stormy blue eyes, same strong, proud demeanor. Such a clever girl. She was smart and clever, but, like most children, she was an innocent, and had yet to hone her skills. He shuddered to think of the horrible things that could be happening to them right now.

_Why, Mahal, why? Why did you take them from me?_

With a gusty sigh, Thorin rose from his seat.

He looked down when he felt something tugging on his tunic, and saw his nephews looking up at him.

His nephews.

One of the few things he still found happiness in.

"What is it, boys?" He asked.

"Mamma won't let us in." Fili said.

"We can here her crying too." Kili added.

Thorin looked down the hallway toward his sister's room.

He strode down the hallway with his nephews following like faithful puppies. He stopped outside his sister's bedroom door, and sure enough, he could hear crying coming from inside. He knocked lightly on the door and called out. "Dis?"

No answer.

Slowly, he opened the door and stepped inside.

His sister was laying on her side, facing away from the door.

"Dis?" Thorin said again, sitting on the bed beside her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

Dis turned her head to reveal her eyes were red and swollen and tears still ran freely down her face.

Thorin scooped his little sister into his arms and held her close.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "I'm so, so sorry. I tried to protect them, but-"

"It's alright." Thorin told her. "I don't blame you. Those men were cowards to attack you from behind like that."

"I failed." Dis murmured. "Forgive me, brother."

"You are forgiven." Thorin replied.

The bouncing of the bed told that Fili and Kili had climbed up as well. Thorin watched the two dwarflings wrapp their arms around their mother as far as they would go. "We're not mad, mammy." Kili said.

"Yeah, uncle's right." Fili added. "They were cowards."

Dis chuckled at the boundless love of her sons.

Thorin's grin was hidden in his sister's hair.

In his mind, he pictured his daughters playing with their uncles. He imagined his wife watching over her children with her warm, loving smile. He imagined his three daughters climbing up into the lap of their great-grandfather as he read them a story. These thoughts made him smile. But his heart still ached with the fact that they weren't there, with him. He would never see his daughters safely married. He would never see his grandchildren come into the world. All of that had been ripped away the night of the raid.

 

 

***

 

 

Kiani and Liani shivered in the slave pens that night.

The dozens of slaves were huddled close in an attempt to share warmth against the frigid night air, but it did next to no good.

They glared enviously at the fire their captors had lit a few meters away.

Kiani jumped when a thick, warm blanket was wrapped around her and her sister.

Judging by the smell, she guessed it to be made of wool.

They both looked up to see a dwarf crouch next to them. His thickly-muscled tan body was criss-crossed with scars, and his thick ginger beard came down to his chest. Like all the rest, he wore a heavy iron collar around his neck. "There ya go, little ones." He murmured. "Maybe now, you won't be so cold, ey?"

"Th-thank you, mister." Kiani said.

"Call me Murdock." the dwarf replied.

"What about you, Mister Murdock?" Liani asked.

"Don't ye worry about me, lass." Murdock replied. "I've got enough meat on me bones to keep me warm."

He was lying.

They could see it.

He looked like he hadn't eaten properly in ages.

But they didn't want to seem rude, so they accepted the gift.

"If you ever need anything, anything at all," Murdock told them, "don't hesitate to come and find me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just t clear something up, no, Dymnos doesn't actually have sex with her, it's just alot of foreplay


	3. Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls are taken to the slave markets outside of Middle Earth

The three girls thanked the Valar that they got put in the same cart as Murdock. Over the past several weeks, Murdock had become like a father to them, sneeking them extra rashions, staying close by them day in and day out, giving them hope and comfort whenever they felt homesick.

Life as a slave had taken a heavy toll on Murdock.

They could see it; his sluggish movements, the way his shoulders slumped, the dull, lightless look in his eyes. Every day, they woke up with the fear that Murdock would be cold and lifeless beside them, and they would be completely and utterly alone. Every night, Dymnos would steal Viani away for her 'lessons', and she hated every minute of it. After she came back, Murdock would take her in his arms and cradle her until she fell asleep. From Murdock, they learned that slavery was illegal in Middle Earth, so they were being taken out of Middle Earth.

As they passed along the roads, they were joined by dozens more slave traders.

Viani had stopped bothering to keep count of the number of carts.

As they listened to a slave being beaten or flogged or branded, Murdock would hold them close, whispering sweet nothings in their ears, and the sounds of a slave in agony would fade into the backround.

Now, they had passed into a northern, snowswept forest.

"Where are we, Murdock?" Kiani asked.

"We are far beyond Middle Earth." Murdock replied. "Welcome to the land of Ashon."

His tone of voice told them that they were anything but welcome.

The girls gazed around as the slave traders entered a massive, snowbound city. It was a city of men, they saw. Harsh, northern-bred men, with sharply chizzled features, pale skin, and fair hair. The cold gazes of the people as they passed made Viani shiver. She sincerely hoped that they wouldn't be bought by any of the people here. "Look there." Murdock said suddenly. The girls looked in the direction the dwarf was pointing. A great, towering fortress loomed ahead. It looked just as cold as the rest of the city.

"That is the Baston Fort." Murdock said. "It's the seat of the king, Andrick Cholmond, and his wife, Desta."

The three of them gazed ahead as the fortress grew closer and closer.

It was not much longer before they passed into a great, open marketplace.

In the center of it all, there was a raised, wooden platform with wooden poles lining one end. It didn't take a mind-reader to guess what it was for.

The cart lurched to a stop, and the door was flung open.

The blast of cold air made the girls gasp.

"Move." A man ordered. The four of them stepped out of the cart, and were tugged up toward the platform. They were tied up in a line, with Murdock at the closest end to the cart, and Liani at the farthest end. Viani watched as more and more slaves were lined up at the wooden posts, tied down like livestock.

Once all the posts were filled, Dymnos stepped forward and began calling out to potential buyers.

The day ticked by at an agonizingly slow pace.

Viani watched as more and more of the slaves were bought and thrust off to their new owners, like cattle being sold at an auction.

As time passed, no one opted to buy the three sisters or Murdock.

In a way, Viani was thankful for this.

She wasn't sure she wanted to part with Murdock just yet.

Buy the time the sun was past it's highest point in the sky, Viani's teeth were chattering like Conkers and she was shivering violently. Did she have frostbite in her hands? She wouldn't be surprised. After what seemed like ages, their bindings were untied, and they were led away to a pen on the edge of the marketplace. At least they were provided some form of shelter; a thick, tan canvas covering the pen, and a small, lit brazier in the center.

As soon as everyone was inside, they all gathered around in an attempt to get warm.

The shaking girls gathered around Murdock, rubbing themselves and each other in their effort for warmth. "H-how l-l-long w-will we s-stay here, M-Murdock?" Viani asked through chattering teeth.

"I-it's hard to s-say." Murdock gasped. "W-when the s-slavers have m-made enough m-money I S'pose." All the slaves attempted to wrap each other in as many blankets as possible. The sound of something tapping against the wooden fence made everyone look.

It was the same silver-haired man who came for Viani every night.

Viani swallowed hard.

Easing up out of the bundle of warmth, she stepped outside the pen. At least this time, the man was kind enough to place a thick fur jacket over her shoulders. It was about two sizes too big for her, but right then, she couldn't have been bothered to care. Her escort led her to an inn at the edge of the marketplace.

Inside, it was loud and bousterous with the voices of drunken men.

Viani's escort drew her close to him with one arm.

She suspected it was to avoid loosing her within the crowd.

He guided her over to the steps and on up to the second floor.

He led her down to a room at the end of the hall and ushered her inside. There, she found her tormentor already splayed ut on the bed. Dymnos opened his eyes as he heard the door close. He smiled and crooked his finger at her. She had learned the rutine by now; no questions, only work. With a deep breath, she began to unlace her clothes in front of him. Slwo and steady. Just how he liked it.

She could feel him watching her.

Watching her like a cat watches a mouse.

The very thought made her shiver.

Now completely bare, she stood before him, the lamplight making her creamy skin and black hair shimmer. She had to wait for his approval before coming over.

He eyed her with a hunger that made her shiver.

Finally he nodded, and she walked slowly over to the bed.

Straddling his lower chest, her hands splayed flat on his shoulders for balance, she leaned forward and licked his lips. She wasn't allowed to give a full kiss. Only he could do that. He gripped her hips tightly and leaned her forward more. He swallowed her yelp in a deep kiss, his tongue plundering her mouth.

He broke the kiss just long enough to order. "Up."

Viani did as she was told, settling back far enough to allow him to sit up.

His hands hooked beneath her underarms, and he rolled them over to the point where she was beneath him. She nearly vanished beneath his massive form. He kissed her again as she felt his hand wander between her legs. His hand didn't go straight to what he wanted most.

He was going to prolong this, make it last as long as he wanted.

This was going to be a long night.


	4. Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thorin's heirs have been broken.

Viani gazed out with indifference at the passing forest.

She no longer found joy in the simple things in life.

She could no long find joy in almost anything.

Four decades.

Four decades since she and her sisters were obducted.

Four decades of being bought and sold, bought and sold, handed off from one master to the next. The names of the people who bought them no longer mattered to the three sisters. It always ended the same; more pain, more suffering, more crying. Viani had become the pain bearer of the three of them; whenever one or both of her little sisters were going to be punished, Viani gave herself up to endure the punishment, so her sisters wouldn't have to be in pain. She recalled one night where a man had pressed a red-hot iron brand into her hip. She had screamed so loud, she was certain that every living thing within a hundred miles could hear.

She had lost count of how many times she had been tossed into a man's bed and raped. They would always offer her something, like 'don't scream, she-dwarf, and your sisters will be spared', or 'don't cry, little one, and your sisters will get extra rations tonight'.

But sometimes it wasn't enough.

Sometimes, no matter how much she pleaded, Kiani and Liani were pulled away, and Viani was forced to listen to the wails of her little sisters as they were beaten or branded or flogged or subjected to whatever hideous forms of torture their masters came up with. Oh, they had fought back at first. If there was one thing dwarves were known for, it was their stubborn spirits. And they had been beaten again, and again, and again, and again until finally, their stubborn spirits broke. Now, they did everything they were ordered to do, out of fear of being tortured again.

All memories of their childhood had been ripped away.

Had they had a family?

They didn't even remember anymore.

All they could think of, day and night, was blinding terror, demanding their submission.

And Murdock....

The three girls still missed him greatly.

It had been starvation that had finally took the life of their dear friend. They had watched as Murdock's naked, emaciated body was tossed into a shallow grave, filled with the bodies of other dead slaves. They had cried together that entire night because they knew, without Murdock, they were completely and utterly alone. Viani sighed and bowed her head. Over the years, her collar seemed to have gotten heavier and heavier. Her face burned with shame when she recalled once how their clothes had been ripped from their bodies, and they had been displayed naked as the day they were born, in front of the eyes of a gathered crowd of potential buyers.

She looked down at the sleeping forms of her sisters.

They were twitching and whimpering in nightmares. They had become accustomed to that.

Viani's spirits fell even further. She sincerely hoped that the next master to buy them would be a kind one.

Otherwise, she knew that this could very well be the end of them

She watched as the caravan approached Norston, the capitol city of the nation of Isil.

The cart jolting to a stop woke Kiani and Liani.

"W-w-what's happening?" exclaimed Liani, looking very much like a cornered animal. Kiani and Viani were instantly at her side. "It's okay, it's okay." Viani whispered. "We'll stay together. I promise." The door of the cage was flung open, and they winced at the bright sunlight. "Let's go." Slowly, they crawled out of the cage. They were led to the auction block at the center of the marketplace, where the slave master stood waiting. He grinned meschieviously before turning to the gathered crowd. "First up, a set of fine specimens! Rare creatures, very hard to get! Who'll kick off the bidding?"

The crowd gazed at the three dwarrowdams, scattered murmurs all around.

Then, biddings started to fly.

"Fourty!"

"Forty-five!"

"Fifty-five!"

"Sixty!"

"Eighty!"

"One Hundred and Twenty!"

"One hundred and Fifty!"

Viani found her gaze drawn to one person in particular. He stood with a half-circle of guards all around him. His long, black-as-jet hair was tied back tight, and he was dressed in a suit that must have cost a fortune. His icy green eyes made a shiver run up and down her spine like a snake. Viani watched as he raised a hand and called out. "Two Hundred!"

"Anymore bids?" called out the slave master.

The rest of the crowd was grumbling and shaking their heads.

"Sold!" barked the slave master.

The three dwarven sisters were thrust off of the auction block, and a great, hulking giant of a man took their place.

The three girls were led over to the man that had bidded on them.

They kept their gazes on the ground. They had been told to never look a person in the eye unless told to do so. The hair on the back of Viani's neck rose when she saw his black boots right in front of her. He grasped her chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilted her head up. "Do you know who I am?" He directed the question at all three of them. The three dwarrowdams shook their heads. "My name is Brandon Rybuck, seventh son of Lord Gerung Rybuck. The three of you belong to me now." Brandon turned to one of his men and asked. "What did the slave master say of these three?"

"He said that they have a talent with animals, and masonry." The soldier responded. "He said the redhead is a bit of a mess, but she'll do whatever you say." Brandon's gaze shifted over the three of them, eyeing them as a cat would eye mice. "Well, we'll see just how talented they are. Bring them." Brandon led the way, while the three sisters were forced to jog along at a merciless pace. There was a horse-drawn carraige, and three carts. Viani and her sisters were lifted into one of the carts. Viani looked back, and watched as the city dissapeared behind them.

For a long while, they traveled along weaving forest roads.

Viani's whimpering and insistent tapping on her shoulder drew her attention forward after a long while.

A huge fortress, all towers and keeps, rose high up in the air before them.

It looked hollow and foreboding.

Viani swallowed hard.

The portcullis rose with a great rattling sound, and they entered the main yard.

There, the carraige and the cart they were riding in stopped. The sound of heavy footsteps announced Brandon's arrival. He grinned like a boy about to show off his favorite toy. "Welcome to Sparrington Keep, your new home." After a moments pause, he said, gesturing to Kiani and Liani. "Take those two to the stable. I'll have words with them later." The two girls were pulled away from the cart and taken off across the yard.

At Viani's questioning look, Brandon chuckled and said. "Oh, don't you worry, my dear, they will be well cared for. As for you, I have something special in mind for you." Brandon snapped his fingers, and Viani was lifted down out of the cart. She was made to follow Brandon as he led the way inside the fortress. He led the way through several hallways and up several flights of stairs before he stopped in front of a door at the end of a hall. He turned to his guards and said. "You may go. I shall call if I have need of you." The guards bowed and left. When they were gone, Brandon said with a devilish grin. "Come, my dear."

He turned back to the door, unlocked it, and opened it up, motioning her inside.

She stood in the center of the room, looking around.

Straight across from her was a wide, rectangular window, which was currently closed and locked. To the left of the window stood a large bed. To the right was a desk, a bookshelf, and practically everything else that one could expect in a lord's room. On the opposite side of the room from the bed, a small corridor led to what Viani guessed to be the washroom.

There was the sound of the door closing, and Brandon walked over to stand in front of her.

Immediately, she cast her gaze to the soft rug floor.

"Look at me." She slowly brought her gaze up to meet his eyes. She instantly regretted it. If there was ever a man she was afraid of, it was him. "You are quite the little piece, aren't you?" He murmured, slowly walking in circles around her.

She knew better than to answer.

"I'm told dwarven women are rare, so to have three in my household.." he finished with a short laugh. He stopped in front of her, eyeing her up and down. She wanted nothing more than to turn and run right now. He leaned down so his mouth nearly kissed her ear and whispered. "Disrobe for me." Viani swallowed, and with trembling hands, slowly did as he said. He watched her with a hunger that made her blood run cold. When she finished, she stood before him, waiting for his next instruction. The torchlight illuminated the scars that criss-crossed her immaciated body. Brandon slowly walked in circles around her again, taking in every inch of her. "So many scars." He murmured. "I was told you became the pain bearer. Any punishment that is meant for your sisters is given to you. Is that correct?"

"Y-yes, master." Viani replied.

"I see." Brandon responded. "I was also told you are well-trained in bed sport. Tell me, of all of the men that you've lain with, was any of it pleasurable for you?"

"I...I-uh.." She stuttered.

"It's alright." Brandon told her. "I swear you shall not be punished for it. Tell me the truth; was it ever pleasurable for you?" as he repeated his question, he crouched behind her, and wrapped his arms around her, kneeding the mounds of her breasts with his hands. She swalloed and shivered at the touch. "N-no, no master."

"Really? Not once?" He pressed.

"Not once...master." she said.

"Hmmm. Poor little girl." He murmured. She whimpered when his hand glided down lower, tracing a path along her inner thigh, while his head came up to lick and nip at her neck. "I've decided to make you my personal slave." He whispered into her ear. "Do you know what that means?"

"F-fetching meals, and w-washing clothes and changing bedsheets, and....giving you pleasure." she murmured uncertainly.

"Close, but not quite." Brandon replied, nibbling along the shell of her ear. "Your new role is to let me give _you_ pleasure....and I think you will like it." His hand pressed against her clit, making her whimper and arch her back. "But," he added, "cross me, betray me in any way, and the consequences will be...severe. Do you understand?" Viani nodded, and Brandon smiled.

"Come, then."

He took her hand and led her over to his bed.


	5. Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viani's escape plan is put into action.

Viani waited until Brandon was well and truely asleep.

Twenty years.

Twenty years of being enslaved to Brandon Rybuck.

Twenty years of being his bedwarmer.

And Viani had had enough.

Slowly rising out of bed, she slid as slowly as possible to the floor, taking the utmost caution not to wake him. Sliding her feet across the carpeted floor, she slipped into her clothes and snatched one of his rucksacks. Once she had grabbed the ring of keys that would unlock her's and her little sisters' collars, she hoisted herself up onto the windowsill, with one last look back to make sure Brandon was still asleep, she swung herself around to the vines that creeped up the side of the fortress.

Shimmying along the wall like a spider, she came to the kitchen window.

She had two things she needed to get; provisions and weapons.

When she was sure no one was watching, she slipped inside and darted behind a bench.

She dared not breath until the sound of footsteps faded away.

Once she was sure the kitchen was empty, she grabbed all the food that she dared and darted back to the window. She gripped the vines tight and angled her way over to the window into the armory. Mimicking her movements in the kitchen, she grabbed a bow, a quiver of arrows, three swords, and several knives. She dared not take any more, lest she be discovered. Returning once more to the vines, she scooted her way around the edge of the fortress and onto the outer wall.

As silently as she could go, she ran along the wall, climbed down it and rushed over to the stables.

Sure enough, Kiani and Liani were waiting there, with a large, midnight-black mare.

Poor Liani looked as if she would snap at any moment.

Viani loved her sister dearly, but she had become such a mental wreck lately, that she would have blurted out their plan at the first threat of torture. That was why Viani had kept the youngest out of the loop.

She devided the weapons eavenly among them, ignoring the youngest's protests.

Viani saw that her sisters had made a makeshift bridle out of the horse's reigns.

She led the horse up to a rock that the girls used for a mounting block. With all three of them hanging on tight, she gave the horse a swift kick in the side, and the three dwarrowdams dissapeared into the darkness of the moonless night.

 

 

***

 

 

Thorin gave a deep sigh.

The gold shimmered all around him in the low light, mountains of it stretching as far as the eye could see.

He had expected to be overtaken by the Dragon Sickness by now, but strangely, he hadn't. The sea of gold awoke no lust, no desire within him. The aching hole in his heart could not be filled by gold. He gave another gusty sigh as he walked past his throne, and practically threw himself onto it. He had done it at last. He had finally reclaimed Erebor, his ancestral home. He had expected to be happy.

But he wasn't.

"Thorin?" He looked up to see Balin standing before him.

"What is it Balin?" He asked in a tired voice.

"You are not overjoyed that we have taken back our home." Balin told him, voicing Thorin's thoughts. "Why?"

Thorin closed his eyes and bowed his head. That simple gesture was all the answer Balin needed. "Them." He said simply.

"Yes." Thorin whispered. "I still see their faces whenever I close my eyes. After all these years, they still haunt me, a constant reminder of how I failed."

"Thorin," Balin murmured, striding forward, "it was never your fault. The raid was never of your doing. It was never your fault that they were obducted, so stop telling yourself that." Thorin gave his friend a long, hard look, before finally he said. "Balin...the only thing that will make me stop blaming myself....is to have my children back." Balin sighed in defeat.

Thorin would never let this go.

 

 

*** 

 

 

Kiani had been given instructions to choose the fastest horse in the stable, and she had done just that.

By the time the sun rose in the sky, they were miles away from Sparrington Keep.

In a bit of last minute thinking, Viani had snatched a map from her master's room. She unrolled it now and set it on the grass. "According to this map, were still about three day's ride from a location called the Lonely Mountain. Once we cross the border, we'll be free."

"B-b-but.." Liani stammered. "w-what if...L-lord R-Rybuck's men catch us before we get to the L-Lonely Mountain?"

Viani scooted over and put a hand on the back of her sister's neck. "Hey, we will get out of this. We will get to the Lonely Mountain." She told her.

"And once we get to the Lonely Mountain? What then?" Kiani asked.

Viani smiled and said. "Then I guess we'll play it by ear." With that, Viani pulled the keys from her pocket, and one by one, their collars were unlocked and taken off. They took a moment to relish the feeling. They had spent so long wearing collars, that they'd forgotten what it felt like to not wear collars. After a few moments, Viani picked up the collars, and tossed them and the keys into the fast-flowing river.

With the dissapearence of the collars, all three of them felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

"We should keep moving." Viani said after a while.

They led the horse up to a massive boulder and mounted up once again.

Viani turned the horse in the direction the map had indicated, and the three of them took off.  


	6. Home?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thorin recieves the most amazing news he has ever heard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who are wondering, this chapter and all chapters following take place after the Battle of the Five Armies

Thorin grunted as he was jolted awake by someone shaking him.

He turned over to see Dwalin standing at the edge of his bed.

"Dwalin? What is it?" Thorin said groggingly.

"We just got word from Dain." Dwalin said. "Three dwarrowdams came into his camp during the night. Thorin, you're not going to believe this, but....it's them." Thorin sat bolt-upright at this, looking long and hard into his friend's eyes. There was no lie in Dwalin's eyes. There never was. Dwalin was Thorin's closest friend and confidant. He would never lie to his king.

Thorin swung out of bed, and they both raced down the halls.

They found Fili and Kili at the front gate.

"Dwalin, you stay here with the others." Thorin said. "Fili, Kili and I will head down to the camp."

"Aye, Thorin." Dwalin replied.

Together, Thorin and his nephews raced out of the front gates. They slowed down when they reached the camp of Dain and his army. "Where is Dain?" Thorin asked one of the soldiers.

"In there, my lord." The dwarf responded, pointing to a tent that was larger than all the rest. Thorin nodded his thanks. When he and his nephews stepped inside, they froze in their tracks. This was one of the jail cell tents, that was set up against some form of stone to leave no form of escape. It was a large cave with iron bars against the entrace of the rock, and the tent set up outside of it.

Dain was sitting in a chair in front of the jail cell.

Inside the cell, three dwarrowdams milled about absently.

Bandages covered their breasts and arms and stomachs. What skin was exposed, Thorin saw, was criss-crossed with scars. The three women were incredibly thin. They looked like they hadn't eaten properly in ages. There was no light in their eyes; that had been long gone. Thorin couldn't believe his eyes. Dain did a double-take when he saw his cousins. He walked up and put a hand on Thorin's shoulder.

"Thorin...." he murmured.

"Why are they in a jail cell?" Thorin demanded softly.

"....When they rode into camp, and two soldiers took a hold of the youngest, she started screaming and trying to run-she's a mental wreck, Thorin-and her sisters started to fight against the soldiers. We had no choice but to put them in here." Dain told him.

Thorin's expression was unidentifiable as he stepped forward and gripped the bars of the jail cell.

Now that he got a closer look at them, there was no doubt in his mind that these were his children.

Liani was curled up in a fetal position on the floor, singing softly.

_Hickory-dickory dock._

_The squirrel ran up the clock._

_The clock struck three,_

_The squirrel ran down,_

_Hickory-dickory dock._

 

"Hello." Thorin said softly.

The three girls snapped their heads up and looked at him all at once, like trained dogs. He searched their eyes for any sign of recognition, but there was no such sign, not in any of them.

"Viani.." He murmured.

"How do you know my name?" Viani demanded.

"I think i'd know the names of my own daughters." Thorin responded.

"No." Viani countered. "You're not our father. Our father died long ago."

"No, he didn't." Thorin argued. "He's standing right in front of you."

"No." Viani snarled. "Our father is dead. You. Are. Not. Our. Father."

Thorin stared in disbelief. The look on the face of his own child, that look of anger and hurt and threats...that was more than he could take. "Surely you must-" He started.

"Shut up." Viani hissed.

"But you must at least-" Thorin pressed.

"I said SHUT UP!" She flew at the bars so fast that Thorin threw himself backwards to get away. Viani was baring her teeth at him, and snarling with each exhaled breath. She looked like a caged animal. "Do you have cotton for ears, you daft dwarf? Our father has been dead for many years!  _You are not our father!"_

"Viani..." Thorin whispered.

"Leave us alone." She snarled, turning her back to him and sitting with her sisters.

Thorin was left staring in shock. That cold, indifferent look, coming from his own child, his own flesh and blood....He felt himself break all over again. He left Dain with the orders that no one was to know that these were his daughters, and left.

 

 

***

 

 

Fili and Kili stayed long after their uncle had left.

They were still astounded by what had just happened. Their cousins didn't recognize their own father?

They looked back at their cousins.

Liani was still singing idly, while Kiani cradled her. Viani was standing with her back to them, her head leaning against the black wall.

For decades now, Thorin had lived with a broken heart at the thought that his daughters were dead. No matter what everyone else had told him, he still believed it was his fault that his daughters had been taken. Fili and Kili had been worried that their uncle would never be right again. He had looked so lost, so defeated, so...broken. Now, his daughters had returned.

But they hadn't.

Not truely.

The three cheerful, bright-eyed little girls that they had known were gone, never to return.

 

 

***

 

 

Viani listened to the stranger's retreating footsteps.

She gave a long, deep breath. He had tried to convince her he was their father. How ridiculous!

With fondess, she recalled Murdock.

She could remember him as clearly as if he was standing right beside her; his thick, scarlet beard, his kind, silver eyes. Whenever the three of them had been afraid, Murdock was there to give them comfort. Whenever they had been hurt, Murdock was there to heal their wounds. Whenever they simply needed someone to talk to, Murdock was there to listen and to talk to them.

He had been a real father to them.

Their birth father was long dead.

Their foster father was long dead.

And now, they had been thrown into a jail cell like criminals. Viani swallowed hard, but couldn't stop these brief tears from flowing. How could she have made such a mistake? HOW?

One thing was certain, though.

They had no father, no mother, no family.

It was just them.


	7. Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thorin attempts to talk to Liani

It was like she was stuck in a waking nightmare.

Everywhere Liani turned, she saw the flash of a knife or heard the crack of a whip.

She was sure that if it wasn't for her sisters, bringing her back to reality after each episode, she would have gone stark raving mad by now. She felt as if everything was closing in all around her, making her positively sick with fear.

She hardly slept, and when she did, she would wake up screaming from her horrid nightmares.

Life as a slave had left her an absolute wreck.

She wanted to sleep.

She didn't want to get beaten again.

She was hungry.

Why was she so thirsty?

Why did she suddenly want to hit her sisters?

 _What is_ wrong _with me?_

The three sisters looked up at the sound of the cell door opening. The same dwarf who had been keeping watch over them all night stepped inside and walked up to her. "Miss...Liani, right?" He asked. She nodded, and he said. "Could you please come with me? I have someone who wishes to talk to you." His voice was soft and kind, not a hint of malice. Or if he did feel any malice toward her, he hid it extremely well.

"No." Viani snarled, and Kiani added. "You're not taking her away from us!"

"I swear to you, no harm will come to her." the stranger said.

Hesitantly, she asked. "D-do I have your word?"

The dwarf nodded and said. "You have my word."

She swallowed and nodded to her sisters. Hesitantly, she took the stranger's offered hand, and he helped her to her feet. As he led the way out of the cell, he said. "My name is Dain, by the way. Dain Ironfoot." He smiled kindly to her. She noticed that he led her along the edges of a massive camp. That sparked her curiosity. Her eyes went wide when she saw him leading her on toward a massive pair of wood and iron gates.

"W-what's happening?" She asked timidly, stopping in her tracks.

"It's okay." Dain said, taking her hand and gently tugging her forward. "I gave you my word; nothing's going to happen to you."

Liani swallowed and followed him inside.

He led her into a wide stone chamber deep within the mountain.

She gasped when a figure suddenly emerged into the room. It was the same man that Viani had yelled at earlier. Immediately, she tensed. "It's okay." The stranger said. "We're not going to hurt you." Two more men appeared beside him.

"That's what the last one said." Liani murmured, stepping back until she was pressed against the wall.

"We're not going to hurt you." The black-haired stranger repeated, holding up his hands. "My name is Thorin, and this is Fili and Kili. We just want to talk to you." Thorin sat down in one of the chairs in the room and said. "You can go now, Dain." Dain nodded and left. Liani watched him go, then turned her gaze back to Thorin. He pulled up a second chair and motioned for her to sit.

Six decades of slavery made her obediant.

As soon as she sat down, Thorin placed a han on her knee and said. "Liani, I-"

"N-no, no...don't do that." She murmured, and Thorin took his hand off her.

"Liani, do you recognize us at all?" Fili asked. The redhead looked at him with wide eyes and shook her head. Thorin looked thoughtful for a moment before he asked. "Can you tell us anything about...about your mother and father?"

Again, she shook her head.

Kili stepped forth, pulling out an old horse doll from somewhere in his coat.

"Do you recognize this at all?" Kili asked, handing her the doll. Liani stared at it for a long while before she said. "Um...Uh, maybe."

"What can you remember?" Thorin asked gently.

Liani swallowed and said. "I-I...I can't..."

"You can't what?" Fili asked.

Tears stung the corners of her eyes as she cried. "I can't remember anything!" She flung the horse doll to the floor and buried her face in her hands. The three men were instantly around her. "It's okay." Kili said. "Why don't you...take all the time you need, and tell us what happened?"

Liani swallowed again and began speaking in a low voice. "I...remember...being tied up...left to stand there in freezing snow. I remember...watching Viani and Kiani get tortured....i remember..a man..he...HE.." She was almost hyperventaling, tears were streaming down her face, and she was shaking like a leaf.

"What?" Fili asked gently. "What did he do?"

Liani let out a broken sob and cried. " _He raped me!_ " And that was the end of it. She curled up in a ball on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. When Fili reached a hand to her, she screeched and took off for the door. "Oin!" Thorin called as Fili hooked his arms under Liani's and pulled her away from the door. "NO!" She shrieked. "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!!" The two of them wrestled so much that they fell to the floor. In that moment, Oin burst into the room. He swiftly drew a bottle from his satchel and crouched beside Liani. "Here, lass." He said gently. "This will make it stop."

"It will?" Liani asked, sounding very much like a terrified child.

Oin nodded.

He pulled the cork out of the bottle, and Liani drank it eagerly until he pulled the bottle away.

Her eyes slowly fluttered shut and her body went limp in Fili's arms. The blond gently lowered her to the ground. "She'll have a deep, dreamless sleep with this." Oin said.

"We'd best take her back to her sisters." Thorin commented. "Call Dain back in." Oin nodded and left. In a few moments, Dain came rushing in. "How-" he exclaimed.

"Not dead, merely sleeping." Thorin told him. "I figured you should be the one to take her back to her sisters. Dwalin will go with you. Once She's back in the cell, Dwalin can take over your watch."

After a brief hesitation, Dain nodded.

He bent down and took the unconcious dwarrowdam up in his arms.

Thorin watched his cousin go until he was out of sight.

 

 

***

 

 

Dwalin stayed up late in the night, watching over Thorin's children.

None of them had said a word to him since he had taken over Dain's watch.

Even his heart softened toward these three. He didn't pretend to understand what something was like when he really had no idea, so he could only imagine what the three dwarrowdams had gone through.

The sight of their scars sent a tingling sensation running through his entire body.

Who would be so cruel as to torture innocent children?

And why?

He had heard Liani's mental meltdown from where he had stood outside the room. When she mentioned she had been raped, Dwalin felt ready to snap the neck of anyone unfortunate enough to cross his path. How the girls must have suffered all these long years....

He had hardly believed his own eyes the first time he had seen them.

When he compared the image of these three broken women to the three bright-eyed little dwarflings he had known all those years ago, the difference was asstounding. He kept wishing, over and over and over, that he had done more to find them all those years ago, that he had found them, and therefore saved them from six decades of pain. _I promise you this, lassies,_ he thought, _the next person to hurt you like this will die a slow and painful death._   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found a song that really fits well with Thorin's daughters in their current situation. Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift


	8. Rage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to go from bad to worse...

The next day, Thorin, Fili, Kili, and Bofur headed down to the tent where the three dwarrowdams were.

Bofur had been very close to the three of them as little dwarflings.

He had requested to see them.

As they came down to the prison tent, Bofur felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

There was an opressive atmosphere that almost seemed to be eminating from the tent. When they entered the tent, Bofur stopped in his tracks. Thorin had told him of how bad off they were right now, but the miner hadn't expected it to be _this_ bad. Viani was asleep on her stomach, laying on one of the mats with her face buried in the pillow. Her older sisters were awake.

Bofur hesitated with the sack of food he was holding.

Dwalin sat in his spot on guard duty, the same spot he had been in all night.

"How are they Dwalin?" Thorin asked.

"Haven't said a word to me all night." Dwalin said. "Liani was crying for a while. I don't think she thought I could hear her. Poor wee lamb. She just fell asleep after that." Thorin turned his gaze back to the cell. Viani and Kiani were shooting him looks of pure venom. "You must be pretty proud of yourself," Kiani sneered, "making her cry like that." She jerked her head toward her sleeping sister.

"What do you want?" Viani snarled.

"I brought you some food." Said Bofur, stepping forward and slipping the sack through the bars. Viani took the sack and nodded politely to him.

The two sisters stood together, watching the five men as if they were the most disgusting things they had ever seen.

"That's not all you want." Viani growled. "You've got something to say, so say it."

"Viani, Kiani..." Thorin said softly. "We want to help you."

Viani gripped the bars of the cell so hard, her knuckles turned white. "If you are our father, then answer this question for us....Why did you abandon us?"

"What?" Kili exclaimed hoarsely.

"You heard me." Viani growled. "Why did you abandon us? You left us to the cruelty of the slave traders. Why?"

"The....the trail...ran cold, and I....I thought you were dead." Thorin murmured pitifully. Viani threw her head back in a bark of laughter and shouted. "WHAT KIND PATHETIC EXCUSE IS THAT!?"

"You say you abandoned us because _the trail ran cold?_ " exclaimed Kiani is a shrill voice. "If you truely cared about us, you would have never stopped searching for us! We would have been saved from decades of misery!"

"Do you have _any_ idea how terrified we were? How lost and alone without you?" Viani came in right on que. "Every night for a fortnight, Liani would cry and say 'where pappa? Where's pappa? I wanna see pappa!'" Her voice was shrill as she mimicked her little sister. She finished by snarling in a voice of ice. _"But. You. Never. Came!"_

"Viani, please lass, let us help you." Bofur pleaded.

"Oh, you want to help us?" Viani said with mock interest. She then shouted. "Then bring Murdock back from the dead for us! He was a real father to us! He was there for us! He protected us! He cared about us! Not that you'd know what that means, you cheep, yellow-bellied, low-life!"

"Stop it!" Fili snapped.

But she didn't stop.

"Look at you! Sniveling, pathetic, weak! Did you ever _once_ think that we were alive? Did you ever _once_ look beyond your own front porch to try and find us?"

"I-I..." Thorin stammered.

"No! You didn't!" Kiani snapped. "If you had, then we wouldn't be in here right now! We wouldn't have been reduced to this!"

"We have suffered for decades because of _your_ inactions!" Viani shouted. "We have been beaten, flogged, raped, branded, and put through other forms of torture that I dare not even describe! We were viewed as trophies, no more alive than the collars around our necks!"

"Fathers are supposed to protect their children! Fathers are supposed to care for them, to always be there for them!" Kiani stepped in. "You? You claim to be our father? Well let me tell you this; I would be _ashamed_ to call you family!"

"As would I!" Viani snapped.

"That's enough!" Bofur barked.

The two of them kicked the bars for emphasis, then turned their backs on the men.

Thorin stood there, as still as a statue, a sick feeling bubbling in his stomach.

Just then, a high-pitched whining noise erupted from Liani. Her sisters were instantly at her side. They took her up and held her close, murmuring comforting things to her while she kicked and whined and panted in whatever nightmare she was caught in.

"Come on, Thorin." Bofur said gently, putting a hand on his king's shoulder.

Thorin cast one last look at his daughters before he followed the miner out, with his nephews close behind.

 _Did you ever_ once _think that we were alive?_

_Sniveling, pathetic, weak!_

_You cheep, yellow-bellied low-life!_

_I would be_ ashamed _to call you family!_

 

 

 

***

 

 

"Uncle!"

Fili knocked on his uncle's door again.

No answer.

"Uncle, please, talk to us!" Kili pleaded.

Again, no answer.

Thorin's nephews sighed and turned to the rest of the company. "He's not coming out." Kili said gloomily.

"I'm not surprised, the way the lassies talked to him earlier." Bofur said.

"Alright." Balin said softly. He motioned to Fili, Kili, Bofur, and Bilbo and said. "Come with me, and tell me exactly what happened."

As they followed Balin, the dwarves told him everything they had seen and heard, word for word. Balin nodded and hummed occasionally to show that he was listening. "So, what is it that you want me for?" Bilbo asked.

"Because, tomorrow morning, you and I are going to talk to them." Balin told him.

"Me?" exclaimed Bilbo. "Why-how-how would-?"

"Bilbo, I believe that you may be a tremendous help in finding a solution to this problem." Balin said. "Your kindness won all of us over from the beginning. I believe it may work with the lasses as well."

 

 

 

***

 

 

The three sisters slept curled up in a heap that night.

They had done this so often before, it seemed a natural thing now.

For as long as they could remember, their only comfort had been in each other, in the fact that they were all there, that they were all together. After Liani's meltdown, her sisters hadn't let her out of their sight since.

Viani gazed at the sleeping forms of her sisters.

As the oldest, she had always felt the wieght of responsibility, the responsibility of protecting her little sisters. She recalled, with dread, how one night they came very close to loosing Liani. It had been after one of their punishments. Liani, in her early fourties, was still considered a young girl. Viani and Kiani were tied to posts and forced to watch, in horror, as their little sister was flogged until she was out cold in a pool of her own blood.

If it hadn't been for Murdock and his medical skills, Liani would have never survived that night.

They owed Murdock so much.

That was a debt they'd never be able to repay.  


	9. Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The shell of anger begins to break. Thorin gets a chance to redeem himself to his daughters.

Kiani stayed up late that night.

She had trouble sleeping, a common occurence.

She contented herself with drawing images in the sand and humming softly.

She watched her sleeping sisters, hoping that they would be blessed with a peaceful sleep for a change. Just like her sisters, she was plagued by nightmares of all the abuse they had suffered. She was trying so hard to keep her memories under lock and key, but all these interigations were dragging those memories out of her, forcing them to the surface, making her recall them as vividly as if they had happened mere hours ago.

It did things to her.

Sometimes, these memories would play before her eyes, and she wouldn't be able to recall what was real and what wasn't anymore. She was trying so hard, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep a tight reign on these nightmarish memories and not let them run wild with her.

It was around dawn when Kili entered the tent, relieving Dain as guard.

Kiani smirked. "If you've come here to try to convince me to apologize to that Thorin man, you're waisting your breath." She stood and turned to face the sable-haired prince. "We meant what we said, every word of it."

"I'm not here for that." Kili replied.

"Then what are you here for?" Kiani asked, stepping up to the bars to the point where only the metal stood between them. 

"I just want to talk." Kili said.

"About what?" Kiani inquired.

"Anything you like." Kili responded. For a long moment, they gazed at each other. If someone who didn't know them was looking at them, that person might have mistaken the two of them for twins, they looked so much alike. "Why do you keep saying you're our family?" Kiani asked after a while.

"Because we are." Kili told her. "You truely don't recognize us?" Kiani shook her head as a few stray tears trickled down her cheeks. "I mean, I....I-I feel like I want to but...no matter how hard I try....I just can't."

"Can you remember anything about your childhood? Anything beyond the slave traders?" Kili asked.

Kiani looked down at the ground and shook her head as more tears continued to flow. Kili clasped her chin between his thumb and forefinger and tilted her head up. "Kiani...I will swear by whatever you like that i'm telling you the truth when I say..we want to help you."

"You truely want to help us?" She asked, sincere this time. Kili nodded and said. "You can deny all you like, but we are family, and family stays together, no matter what."

"Then, please," Kiani pleaded, "please stop making us remember all of the horrid things that were done to us. Please....it's just too painful." Kili stared long into the eyes of his cousin. For the first time since the sisters had arrived, Kili saw the cousin he had known suddenly emerge from those eyes. He saw a glimpse of the child she had once been, the bright-eyed, happy little girl that had gone with them everywhere.

The excited little brunette who's mind had always seemed to run a mile a minute.

"Kili..." she murmured pleadingly.

Kili's eyes went wide when she said his name. He immediately rushed over to where he had hung the keys, unlocked the cell door, and rushed inside. The two brunettes clapped each other into a fierce embrace, and Kiani sobbed into his shoulder. She gasped his name over and over again. "You know who I am?" He said, just to be certain. He felt her nod against his shoulder, and she murmured. "My cousin. Kili."

Kili nearly cried himself.

"You have _no_ _idea_ how happy it makes me to hear you say that!"

They stayed that way for a long while, taking comfort in the fact that Kiani finally remembered him.

They were one step closer to becoming a family again.

 

 

***

 

 

Thorin hadn't come out of his room since his spat with Viani and Kiani.

He hadn't felt the energy to.

Hearing those words come out of the mouths of his own children...He felt as if a hand had reached in and squeezed his heart until it burst, and he had watched his life force flow out of him like dripping blood, leaving him in empty, bone-deep agony. His daughters, his own flesh and blood, had been his pride and joy, and now....now they wanted nothing to do with him. It had been easier to believe they were dead.

Their words still echoed in his brain.

_Why did you abandon us?_

_If you truely cared about us, you would have never stopped searching for us!_

_Do you have_ any _idea how terrified we were?_

_Bring Murdock back from the dead for us! He was a real father to us!_

_Murdock..._ another dwarf, one that he had never even known, had taken his place in the hearts of his children. He didn't know whether to praise Murdock or curse his ghost. He buried his face deeper into his pillow. Sometimes he just wanted to curl up in a dark corner and die. There was the creak of the door opening, and the sound of footsteps entering the room. "Thorin..." It was Balin.

"Leave me be." Thorin gumbled through his pillow.

"Thorin, a group of men have ridden into the camp." Balin told him. "They're demanding to speak to you personally."

This made Thorin sit up.

"Who are they?" He asked.

"I don't know." Balin replied. "I don't recognize the flags they carry." With a sigh, Thorin pulled himself out of bed. "Go find Dwalin, Fili, Kili, and Bofur. The five of you are coming with me." He said. The old dwarf noddded, and while he dissapeared, Thorin made himself look as presentable as he could get for an audience. When he left his rooms, he found his five requested dwarves waiting for him. With a wave of his hand, they gathered around him, and they left the mountain and went down to the camp. Sure enough, the strangers' banners were scattered everywhere; a black ram skull against a split red and gold field.

"You truely don't know these banners, Balin?" Thorin asked.

"No." The elder replied. "Whoever these men are, they're not from Middle Earth."

Thorin looked up at the flags one more time before he followed Balin's directions to a very large tent.

Inside, a man dressed in black leather and armor was sitting in a chair. He was gripping a tall metal staff in his hand, his long ebony hair was tied back tight, and his icy green gaze would have been enough to make anyone else's knees knock. He grinned from ear to ear as Thorin entered the tent. "Thorin Oakenshield!" He exclaimed dramatically. "What an honor to finally meet the famed King under the Mountain!"

"Let us skip the formalities." Thorin said. He didn't think for once second that this was mere coincidence.

"Aha! Gets right to the point. I like it!" The stranger exclaimed, still giving that smile that bordered very nearly on creepy. He snapped his fingers, and as a servant gave them each a glass of wine, he said. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Brandon Rybuck, seventh son of Lord Gerung Rybuck."

"What brings you here, Lord Rybuck?" Balin inquired.

"Oh, it's quite simple, really." Brandon replied. "You see, three pieces of my property managed to escape from my holdings and come here. I'm simply here to collect what is mine." As soon as he said this, Thorin knew his children were in danger. Everything inside him was screaming to run to his daughters, but he stayed where he was. Doing his best to look calm and unaffected, he asked. "Why are they of such value to you?"

"I spent quite a bit of good coin to get my hands on them." Brandon replied. "I would like to keep such costly prizes in my possession."

"They must be rare to have cost so much." Thorin commented, resisting the urge to leap forward and rip this man's head from his shoulders. Brandon chuckled and replied. "Indeed. So, all I ask is that you help me seek them out. Once I have them-" He was cut short when a soldier came into the tent. "My Lord." He said, dipping his head to Brandon. "We've found them."

"Excellent." Brandon exclaimed, clapping his hands together with that exceedingly irritating grin on his face. "Bring them in." There was the sound of scuffling outside, and sure enough, several more soldiers entered the tent, tugging the three dwarrowdams along in chains. Viani didn't look at anyone, Kiani's face was unreadable, and Liani looked on the verge of hysteria. "Well, well, well." said Brandon, getting up and walking slowly toward Viani. "What have we here?"

With each step Lord Rybuck took forward, Viani took a step back.

This kept going until Viani was backed up fully against one of the tent poles.

For a long moment, nothing happened.

Slowly, Brandon brought his hand up, as if he was going to pat the dwarrowdam on the head.

This was not the case.

He grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her head back with a dull thunk. The dwarves leaped to their feet. "Make sure they stay put!" Brandon shouted, without turning his head. All the guards that weren't being used to hold the sisters immediately drew their swords and formed a wall between the dwarven men and the women. Viani was breathing hard as she looked up at Brandon with wide eyes. "Didn't I warn you," Brandon said slowly, sounding as if he was scolding a child, "that defying me would have severe consequences?"

He drew a knife out and pressed the blade to her throat.

Viani swallowed, the apple in her throat bobbing against the blade, and shut her eyes tight, waiting for the sound of steel tearing flesh.

But it never came.

Brandon _tsked_ , making Viani open her eyes.

"Haven't you learned anything?" He sneered, slowly, he brought the blade away from her throat. He motioned with two fingers to his guards. Liani gasped as she was thrust hard to the ground. "No!" Her sisters cired in unison. They were both jerked backwards. "You know what to do." Brandon ordered. "And make sure her screams aren't heard outside this tent." He held Viani close to him, one arm wrapped across her stomach, the other hand pressing the knife so tightly to her throat that she had to hold still or risk getting cut. "Look." Brandon growled. "Look, and watched your sister suffer from your decision." Viani gave a strangled sob as hot tears flowed down her cheeks, and opened her eyes.

Liani was in a fit of hysterical sobbing now as she desperately tried to claw her way away from the man ordered to torture her. But it was a fruitless effort. The man gabbed fistfuls of her dress, pulled her toward him, and there was the sound of tearing fabric as he forced her onto her back. He took out a gag and tied it on her, muffling her sobs. Her struggling finally stopped when the man pinned her down.

It was pointless to try and get out of this.

The man was twice her size, and much stronger than her in her emaciated state.

Her eyes went as wide as saucers and her face drained of color when the man pulled out a knife, and her struggling resumed. The dwarves were forced to watch, in horror, as the man slashed and stabbed and cut her. Her screams and sobs were muffled by the gag, which was quickly becoming wet from the tears streaming down her face. "ENOUGH!!!" Thorin roared, forcing his way through the line of guards. Brandon held up a hand for the tormentor to stop.

Thorin stood there, his fists clenched, fighting every urge that was screaming at him to drive that knife into his skull. "If I recall our laws correctly," He said slowly, for fear of loosing his temper, "slavery is illegal in Middle Earth. It was also agreed that any slave who crosses into Middle Earth is immediately made a free man or woman. So, by our laws, these women are no long your property."

Brandon's eyes went wide and the smile dissapeared from his face.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Thorin cut him off.

"Or shall I take it up with your father why his son broke the laws of slavery?"

Brandon grimaced, but released Viani from his hold, and motioned for his men to do the same with Kiani. "No." He said through gritted teeth. "There is no need for that. We will go." He waved his hand, and all his guard gathered around him. Outside, there was the sound of stampeding horses that could only mean the men had left. As soon as they were gone, Viani and Kiani rushed to their sister's side. At the first touch, she screamed and kicked away.

"Liani! Liani, it's us, it's us!" Viani exclaimed, drawing her sister close.

Liani just then seemed to realize that it was her sisters, for she buried her face into Viani's shoulder, sobbing and wailing.

"Thorin, she needs to see Oin." Balin's words snapped Thorin out of his brief trance.

"Right." Thorin murmured. He slowly stepped over and crouched beside the three girls. "GET AWAY FROM US!!!" Viani shouted.

"Viani, we know a person who can help your sister." Thorin said gently. "Please, let us help you." Viani gave him a look of pure venom, but when she cast another look at her sobbing sister, she realized they didn't have much of a choice, so she nodded. Dwalin wrapped the smaller dwarf in his huge cloak, and the men led the women outward along the edge of the camp.

Halfway to the mountain, Liani's legs gave out from under her.

When this happened, Dwalin took her up in his arms, closely watched by her older sisters.

"OIN!!!" Thorin roared as they brought Liani to the apothecary chambers. As they laid the wounded dwarrowdam on the bed, Oin burst through the door, his apothecary satchel in hand. "I need you to hold her down." He instructed. Several of the current company rushed to do as he said. Liani was whimpering and breathing hard as they untied the gag from her mouth. The hands kept her flat on her belly. First, Oin cleaned the wounds, and she yelped at the wet rag against the open gashes.

All throughout Oin's work, Viani and Kiani stayed by their sister, murmuring sweet nothings to her while she screamed and cried.

She finally fell silent as Oin sewed her wounds shut.

Thorin looked for any new signs in his daughters, but found nothing.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just saw the Desolation of Smaug, and it was FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!


	10. Breathe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Bilbo and Balin come to visit the girls, everyone gets an unexpected-and in some ways, unwanted-surprise,

_Viani sighed, and kept her gaze fixed on the tiled floor._

_She and her sisters were the only things in the royal halls that weren't scrubbed to a glow._

_It had been a bit of a last-minute invitation, so their master hadn't had time to clean them up. The words of the song still echoed in her brain. "Run, run, run away. Buy yourself another day..." The only problem was, she wasn't sure how they were going to do that. The three sisters were chained in various positions to one of the hall's great pillars, the table just a few inches away._

_Liani was already on the brink of tears._

_The chains clanked as Viani reached up to stroke her little sister's hair and give her a reassuring smile. Their current master, Corren Van Hien, guffawed loudly at a joke. She licked her lips and swallowed several times in an attempt to ease her dry throat. It was still wracked from her screams when he had raped her the previous night. Her vision still swam from that night, and she was still sore from head to toe, a horrible, burning pain between her legs._

_She looked at herself and her sisters._

_The three of them looked like the undead._

_Imaciated frames, blackened rings beneath their eyes, too-big clothes pooling all around them._

_Viani looked up when she heard their master mention them, and before she could react, a guard was untieing her from the pillar and hauling her over to the table. Her legs hurt so badly, but she was forced to stumble along anyway._

_"I've heard dwarven women are rare specimens." Someone out of sight commented._

_"Aye, they are." Corren replied. "Cost me quite a lot of money to get my hands on these three."_

_"Must have been a rather tight fit." someone joked. It was met with loud bellows of laughter._

_Viani bowed her head so they wouldn't see how red her face was._

_But the gods weren't that merciful._

_Corren grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her up so that she was forced to stand. She screwed her eyes shut and gave a small cry of pain. She whimpered and clawed desperately at his hand to try and get him to at least relax his grip. "You should have heard her last night." Corren sneered. "Screeching like a bloody banshee." The men laughed some more at Lord Van Hien's joke, and at the she-dwarf's obvious discomfort._

_He thrust her to the floor, and she lay there, her face pressed against the cool tiles, as hot tears of shame ran down her face._

Mahal, please, if you love us at all, let us die here. Let our misery end here.

_She didn't get an answer._

_She didn't expect one._

 

 

***

 

 

It was around dawn when Liani woke.

She started whimpering and thrashing from the after-effects of a bad dream. 

 Immediately, Viani and Kiani were beside her, murmuring comforting words and keeping her cocooned between them

 This was how Balin and Bilbo found them when they entered the apothecary quarters. Balin hesitated for a moment before he stepped further inside, Bilbo close behind. "Hello, girls." The old dwarf said gently. The dwarrowdams nodded in respect.

"Liani, lass, mind if I see how you're healing up?" Liani swallowed, and after a moment, nodded and removed her shirt. Thankfully, she was still wearing her bust. Bilbo couldn't help but let a small gasp escape him at the sight of Liani's body.

Bruises, some old, some new, littered her body like a patchwork.

Scars of varying shapes and sizes criss-crossed her skin.

Bilbo could count her bones jutting up from her emaciated form.

Balin touched and stroked and prodded carefully over her back, being careful not to agrivate any old injuries. He gave the occasional grunt or sigh. That was the only indication of his opinion. Finally, he sat back and said. "You are strong, lass. You're healing faster than we would have expected."

"Well, we've had plenty of practice." Kiani muttered darkly.

Balin motioned for Liani to turn around, and as she did, everyone noticed something rather peculiar. Liani's gaze traveled from one person to the next, wondering why everyone was staring at her as if she was the oddest thing they'd ever seen. "What?" She asked finally.

"Liani, when was the last time you bled?" Viani asked.

"Uhhh.....about two months ago I think..." Liani replied uncertainly.

"Have you had any cravings?" Balin asked.

Liani frowned in thought for a moment before she responded. "I've had an extreme craving for chicken, for some reason."

She nearly jumped back when Viani pressed a hand to her belly, and then to her breast. Viani's eyes went wide, and she slowly looked up to meet her sister's eyes. "Liani..." She said hoarsely, and then said in Iglishmek _you're pregnant._

 

 

***

 

 

"You're absolutely certain?" Thorin asked.

"Positive." Balin replied. "She's showing all the signs. Her belly is beginning to swell as well."

Thorin crashed into his chair with a dull thunk, and leaned forward, burying his face in his hands with an exhausted groan.

A raper had gotten his daughter pregnant.

_A RAPER!_

As if things weren't complicated enough already.

"Do they know who the father is?" He asked finally.

"No." Balin responded. "Viani said all three of them had been raped numerous times. They won't know for certain who the father is until the baby is born." Thorin sighed again and leaned further forward. He had hoped that he would somehow be able to convince his daughters that he was their father. He knew that what had been done to them would never really, truely go away, but he had hoped that he could've built his family back up again, and helped his children on the long road to recovery. But now....He had always wondered what it would be like to have grandchildren.

Never, in his wildest dreams, had he imagined it being like this.

This grandchild would be a living, walking, talking reminder of what his or her mother and aunts had had to live through

But somehow, he would find a way to help his daughters continue on.

He had to.

 

 

*** 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about this chapter being kindof short. I have a lot to do right now, so i'm not gonna be able to get on that much.  
> For those of you who are wondering, the song Viani's thinking of is Kingdom Come by Civil Wars


	11. Hope

_Liani scrambled backwards until she was pressed flat against the wall._ _"No....please, no..." She whimpered._

_From the opposite side of the bed, Tsai steadily crawled closer._

_Liani whimpered in fright, wrapping herself in the covers in an attempt to hide her bare form._

_The laughter of the others rang in her ears, one of whom still held the clothes they had ripped off her body. Her thighs burned like they had been set on fire. Her insides felt like they had been wrenched out of place. Her eyes still stung from how much she had been crying. She couldn't do it anymore. She had barely survived the first. How was she expected to survive another?_

_"Shhhh." Tsai whispered, stroking her hair, as if he were calming a frightened horse. "Come now, my dear, the worst is over. Why don't you just lay back, relax, and try to enjoy at least part of it?" She stared at him with wide, terrified eyes. These men had just taken her purity from her, raped her half to death, and this man wanted her to_ enjoy it? _"Please....please no...don't do this...please..." She pleaded._

_Suddenly, before her eyes, Tsai changed into a horrid, twisted monster._

_The monster's long gray claws took a hold of her and yanked her down on the bed._

_When she felt the huge, raw piece of flesh, she screeched in terror._

Liani screamed as she sat bolt-upright.

Having gotten lots of practice, Liani's older sisters were around her instantly. "Easy, easy, easy." Viani murmured. "Everything's okay."

"There's nothing to be scared of." Kiani added. "You're here, with us. You're safe."

"It was Tsai..." Liani whimpered. "I-I was back there...he was going to...he was about to..."

"Tsai is miles and miles away." Viani said calmly. "No one will hurt you here."

She clutched her sisters tight until her gasps and hiccups had died away. A subtle twitch inside her belly brought her back to reality. One of the men who had raped her had gotten her pregnant. She shuddered at the thought.

None of them were sure how long they stayed there, but the sound of the door opening made all three of them look up.

Sure enough, Thorin walked in.

He expected them to scream at him, tell him to go away, tell him what a terrible father he was, but they didn't. They just didn't have the energy for that anymore. The discovery of Liani's pregnancy had shattered their anger, and set loose all the grief and pain and anguish that was behind it. "What do you want?" Kiani asked in a wavering voice.

"To talk." Thorin replied, sitting on the edge of the bed.

The four of them were silent for a long moment before Thorin began.

"When the three of you were born....I was the happiest man in Middle Earth. The Valar had blessed me with three beautiful children. I felt like the Valar had given me a second chance. I watched you and your cousins play. I watched the five of you run and ride all throughout Ered Luin. When punishment was nessacary, it was given. But I only gave it because I loved you, and I wanted to teach you all that I could, so that one day....you wouldn't nessicarily make the same mistakes that I did. You three were my entire world.....and then the raiders came.

"When I learned that you had been taken....I felt as if someone had torn my heart out of my chest. When the search parties never found you, we had believed you to be dead. It was as if we would never be truely happy again. I thought about you every day when you were gone, and at night....I would lie awake missing you so much, it ache." Thorin paused as tears began rolling down his face.

"When we reclaimed this mountain, I had expected to be overtaken by gold lust....but I wasn't. The hole in my heart that you had left behind couldn't be filled with gold....And then you came back....when I heard the news...I was ecstatic. My children, my own flesh and blood had returned. But when I learned the full extent of what you had suffered, ecstasy turned to agony. What you said to me, that day in the tent....I felt as if someone had torn me in half.

"You have no idea how horrid I felt, knowing that I had left you in the hands of cruel and unforgiving men. From the first moment I learned of what had been done to you, nightmares haunted me at every moment. You were screaming my name, and I would be trying as hard as I could to reach you...but no matter what, I couldn't get to you...and I was forced to listen to you scream and wail."

He gently crawled closer and put his arms around the three of them.

"I hurt you, I abandoned you, and for that, I am truely sorry. I know..." He paused as his voice cracked. "I know...that my words can in no way make up for the pain you have been through, but I do mean it when I say that I am really, truely sorry." He paused for a moment when he realized that all four of them were crying now. "I wasn't there for the first parts of your lives....i've never regretted anything more....I know that what was done to you won't ever really, truely go away...but....I hope....I hope that you will give me a second chance...and that we can be a family again."

"Pappa!" Liani cried, and Thorin drew his daughters tight to him as they cried into his embrace, and he cried into their hair, whispering. "i'm sorry, i'm sorry, i'm sorry..." over and over and over again.

"We forgive you, pappa." Viani cried.

"Yes, we forgive you." Kiani added.

Thorin cradled his children, and he felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

He had his family back 

 


End file.
